Improved mode of-raising sunken vessels



folk and State of Massachusetts, have invented or sealed at its bung-hole'so as to prevent the results so far as time and labor are concerned.

' spigot-hole arranged in its side opposite to' UNITED STATES ATENT Grri'cn.

`Perlen E. FALCON, or! eo.-Hn ssnr,M`ssAoHUsnrrs.

IMPROV'ED MODE OF -RAlSl-NG SUNKENVESSELS.

. Specification formingpart of LetterslPatentNoi 32,438, dated January 20, 1863.

To all whom it may concern:-

Be it known that I, PETER E. FALcoN,-a citizenof the United States of America, and' a residentfof Cohasset, inthe countyorf-'Nora 'new and useful Improvement in' Raising Sunken Vessels by Means of Casksor' their' Equivalents-1; and Ido hereby declare the saine to be fully described in the following ,speciiii cation and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings,ofv whichi Figure'l exhibits a-transverse section -ofa ship in the act of being prepared for being raised by my invention. Fig. 2 is a section of a-caslr, and exhibits the process of supply- 'ing it with air and excludingjwa'terfrom it.

I am aware that fontheipurpeseci' Boating a sunken vessel or structurethas-been custernary to place either `vith`ir-i it or attach-ter it externally a series of water-.casks or vessels containing air; that preparatory to each of them being put in place it has been stopped admission of Water; the arrangement and application of such a series of casks, with respect to a sunken or stranded vessel, generally having been made at low tide, in order 'that during the rise of the tide the action of the water on the several casks might effect the flotation of the ship.

.My process of procedure differs essentially from the above, and has been employed byme Withgreat success and important economic One great advantage itv possesses over the old plan of operating is that it may be carried on at all times of the tide, and is not necessarily conned to the seasons or times of low water, nor in many instances to any rise. or fall oftide, and, furthermore, it may becarred on in any depth of water to which a submarine diver may penetrate.

In carrying-out my invention I charge each cask with water. This may be done either by passing water into its bung-hole; or in case the cask is provided with a spigot and that which contains the bung-hole, such cask should be so placed in the Water that the bung-hole may be d wnward andA the spigot bedirectly over it. On withdrawing tlre spigot from its hole the water will rush into the bunghole and rise in the cask and expel the air,

lWhich will' escape through the spigot-hole'. When-the cash; may have become filled with water, the spigot-should bedri'venl into its hole se as toeifectually close'the same. After each caslr may have thus' been'charged with Water itfis' to' be' stowed-in the hold'or affixed to the outersurface of the ship, as circumstances may require. Tharran gement ofthe casks within theh'old of the. ship or over or about her sides may be accomplished by submarine divers,

who may easily dispose them in tiers or'otherproduce-a--displacement of the water-therein,

q'uently had their water expelled by air'forced into them, .their united buoyant powers will raise and iioat the ship in the water and enable her to remain atloat as long as such may 4 be necessary.

' In Fig. 1 ofthe drawings, A denotes the ship as submerged in water. .C C G are the watercasks, each being arrangedwith its bung-hole on the lower part of the cask.

In Fig. 2, C is a cask, a its air-pump tube, s the spigot, and b the bung-hole.

My process enables weak casks to be em-v ployed, because, while being used they are subjected to pressure both inwardly and outwardly; the air while being forced into each, in order to displace its water, becomes condensed and exerts a pressure on the internal practical value, in fact, far preferable to that of the said Gambell and Wit-hington. The air, supply pipe of each of their boats or casks, as

the case'may be, passes down through the np3 p'er part ofthe vessel and has two valves upon it, whereas in the arrangement of the air-induction pipe in in y'invention it is caused to enter the bung-hole ot' the Cask andthe water is expelled from the bung-hole and around the air-pipe. This 'notonly dispenses 'with the valves used by'Oa'njbell and Withington, `but `enables one induction-pipe-to be used for any.

number of casks, whereas in Gambelland Withingtons plan there is one to each casi;v

or vessel. With Ga'rnbell and Withingtons arrangement 'of an air pipe to each lcask i-t would be very inconvenient, if notimpossible,

- to ldischarge the air -froln the .caskswhen stored in tiers ina vessels hold, for thediver would vnd it nearly, ifnet entirely, impossil ble to get between the casks, either to attach "the air conduit or pipe to the pipe of eachcask ordetachthe two, as circumstances might require. Withmy invention, however,`thev airpump pipe has' only to be pushed upward into the bung-hole of each cask, the water in the4 cask being expelled throughv the said 'bung hole and around the pipe, which should be of a diameter less-than thatof the' said bung- In the process of arranging ltheters of casks and expelling water from them, those of the upper vtier 'are first to -be placed withinzthe holdof thevessel, their buoyancy causing them 1 to rise up against the'deck. The diver next should apply the air-pipe to each- 'cask so as ton.

to charge suchA cash with air and expel its water. After this he is to proceed and ar -range underneath the rst tier of casks another or the second tier. Having accomplished this, he isnext to insert the air pipe into the bung-'hole of each Cask of such second tier and charge such cask with air, the bung-hole being supposed tobe at the` lowest part of the cask. In this way he is toproceed to lay each tier of casks in successionunderneath the one last laid, and after having laid each tier he is 'toill its casks with air before proceeding to :lay another or the next tier. Nor do I claim,

the invention or` inventions described in the' said patent of the said Canibell and Within g- What I'do claim as invention is. l My improved process of raising sunken vessels by means of casks or contrivancesof like character, the same. consisting in arranging J. P. HALE, Jr., GEO. W. FULLER. 

